The Pumpkin Patch
by Ellen-Thalia
Summary: Joe Solomon left my bedroom that night and I didn't see him again for ten years. By then I had forgotten who he was. Sweet one-shot about Cammie and Solomon. Friendship/Family. NO ROMANCE! That's just wrong.


**Pumpkin Patch**

"Where are we going Mommy?" I asked as my mother took my winter coat out of the closest and handed it to me. "It looks cold outside; I don't want to go out if it's cold."

"That's why you need to put your coat of sweetie, so you won't get cold. Hurry up, Cammie. Daddy's already in the car waiting for us," was her only answer.

"But where are we going?" I whined as I tugged the coat on and it drowned my five year old body.

"We're going to the farm. You need to pick out a pumpkin so that you and Daddy can make a jack-o-lantern," my mom told me and I suddenly perked up.

"I want to get the biggest one in the field! Come on Mom! Quick before somebody else gets it!" I ran towards the door in excitement but was suddenly lying face down on the floor.

"Cameron! How many times have I told you not to run around when your shoes are undone? Come here, let me tie you laces."

"I can do it myself, Mom," I assured her. I know that most five year olds can't tie their own shoe laces but hey, I was a smart kid, which should be obvious because ... you know ... I'm a spy! Ok so I wasn't back then but I was still being raised my spies, even if I didn't know it. "See!" I announced, proud of myself once I had securely ties the muddy laces of my tiny sneakers.

Mom just smiled warmly at me and then looked down at my feet. "We really need to get you some new sneakers soon. We might do that on the way home, hmm?"

"But I love my sneakers Mommy! I don't want new ones!" I lifted my left leg up as I said this and hugged my shoe, which was still on my foot, too my chest.

"Put your foot down Cammie and we'll see," she replied before walking past me and opening the front door. I huffed as I walked past her because any kid with a brain knows that when your mom says 'we'll see' it really means that you're not going to get what you want but she can't be bothered to argue with you about it.

I raced to the car and Dad opened the door to the back seat before strapping me onto my booster cushion. He and Mom got in the front and we set out on the hour long drive to the nearest farm with a pumpkin patch.

When we arrived I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt (I was too excited to care that my mom had told me never to do that and to wait for somebody else to get me out the car) I quickly checked that there were no people or cars near the door and opened it. I jumped out of the car and ran a few and started running towards the huge pumpkin patch. It was bigger than anything I'd ever seen!

"Cameron Anne Morgan wait!" my angry mother yelled after me.

"But Mom..." I whined, dragging out her title.

"Calm down Rach," Dad told her, appearing behind her. "We can see her and nothing is going to happen so let her have some fun."

"Thanks Daddy!" I yelled over my shoulder for I had already started running. Destination: ginormous pumpkin patch. Mission: Find the biggest pumpkin in the world.

My five year old self heard my mother scold my father for letting my 'run around like a hooligan' and not presenting me with a 'united front' but wasn't really listening, I was more focused on the pumpkin patch. When I was half way there though a laugh stole every ounce of my attention from the great muddy field filled with big orange fruit.

I recognised that laugh.

I hadn't heard it in three years, over half of my life at the time, but I knew exactly who it was and looked up with a smile, scanning the faces of the other moms, dads, farmers and kids until I found the one I was looking for. Then the smile transformed into a huge grin and I ran even faster that before, changing direction slightly, I headed straight past the pumpkin patch and the huge tractor which the farmer was using to take kids for rides around the next field. I ran towards the barn which I hadn't noticed before. Why did I run to the barn? Because somebody who had been a very big part of my life until he'd disappeared three years ago.

I reached him and flung my arms around him, hugging his legs. "Uncle Joe!"

He chuckled and reached down to pick me up. "Hello Cammie-Chameleon. How are you?" he asked.

"I'm great! Where have you been Uncle Joe! I haven't seen you in ages!" I reminded him doing my best impression of my mom's stern look. I was a little put out when he laughed in my face so I pouted.

"I'm sorry Cammie. I had to go away to do some very important work. I didn't think you'd remember me," he revealed (Joe Solomon revealed a lot more to me when I was a kid that he does to anybody now).

"How could I forget my favouritest, bestest uncle in the whole world ever?" I yelled a little offended at his lack of confidence in my memory. Of course I didn't understand back then that he was counting on me not remembering him and me not seeing him so that he wouldn't have to deal with my mother...

"Joe Solomon!" I heard my mom's voice from behind me, she didn't sound happy.

"Hello Rachel. Hi Matthew. Long time no see," my godfather smiled.

Dad opened his smiling mouth to greet his best friend but was cut off by my mom. "That's because we agreed that you would stay away Joe. She's too young to enter this world yet. I want her to live as a normal kid for as long as possible before we have to tell her and if you're around we'll have top tell her sooner."

"Tell me what?" I asked, looking between Joe and my parents.

"It doesn't matter Cammie," Joe told me with a sigh as he put me back on the ground.

I crossed my arms and glared up at him. "I hate it when adults say that! It's just the same as 'you'll understand when your older'" I did a childish impression of my mom's voice.

Joe smiled at me. It was a smile filled with so much warmth and love that I forgot that I was getting mad at him only seconds before and hugged him again. He wrapped his arms around me, tightly as he spoke to my mom.

"I'm sorry Rachel. I just wanted to see her. I didn't expect her to remember me so I wasn't as careful as I could have been not to let her see me. I underestimated her," I looked up and he was smiling at me with pride and love.

"Rachel, she's already seen him and obviously hasn't forgotten Joe at all. It wouldn't hurt to let them spend some time together now would it? In fact I'm sure Joe wouldn't mind looking after Cams for the day so you and I could have a break, hmm?"

I turned around in Joe's arms so that I faced my parents. "Please Mommy, please," I begged using my best puppy dog expression.

"I'd love to take Cammie for the day, if that's ok with you," Joe replied. I tilted my head back and saw that he was looking at my mom just as hopefully as I was.

"One day isn't going to ruin her life Rachel," Dad murmured in her ear.

Mom sighed and I grinned knowing I'd won. "Fine but just for today. After that I would really prefer if you stayed away Joe. You know that it's nothing personal against you."

"I know Rach. If that's what you want..." Joe trailed off giving her a grateful smile.

"But I don't want you to go away again!" I wailed.

"Hey," Joe said, picking me up and holding me in front of him so he could look into my eyes. "The only thing I want you to be thinking about is all the fun me and you are going to have today. Ok?"

I sighed, "Ok."

"Good. Now say good bye to your mom and dad," Joe ordered putting me down. I hugged my parents and said goodbye before jumping back into his strong arms which caught me easily.

"She's too big to be carried everywhere, Joe," Mom inform, biting back a smile.

"But he's got three years to make up for Mommy," I argued and all the adults laughed. I grinned and wrapped my arms around Joe's neck. "Daddy?"

"What's up Cam?"

"Would you mind if I made a jack-o-lantern with Uncle Joe instead?" I asked hopefully.

Both men chuckled. "If you want to Cammie. Now you be good for your Uncle Joe," he warned.

"I will," I grinned (I did that a lot that day).

With that my parents walked away. Once I saw them get into the car I wriggled my way out of Joe's arms and dropped to the floor.

"Race you to the pumpkin patch!" I yelled, already running.

We spent an hour running around the pumpkin patch for I had insisted that I had to see every single one before I decide which of them would make the best jack-o-lantern in history. When I finally picked one we went to the farmer and Joe paid for it.

"How about we put the pumpkin in the car and then you me and your Dad can make the Jack-o-lantern when I take you home tonight? Sound fun?"

"Yeah! As long as we don't let Mommy use the pumpkin pulp to make pumpkin pie like we did last year. It tasted yucky!" I exclaimed.

"Well your mom's cooking always has," Joe laughed, I did too.

"Daddy says that the most dangerous thing about Mommy is her cooking, I think he's right but that makes it sound like there are other things that are dangerous about her. When I told her and Daddy that she told Daddy off for saying silly things, but it's not silly because maybe her cooking is dangerous. One time Daddy had to go away for a few days so Mommy made dinner and it didn't taste very nice but I ate it ally anyway because Daddy told me before he left that I had to be good and eat all my dinner, but then it made my tummy hurt lots."

Joe was laughing o hard by now that he was turning red. "My my Cammie, you are far too smart too be five years old."

"Well actually I'm five and a half," I corrected him because when you're that young every half a year counts.

By this time we have arrived at his car. He put the pumpkin in the trunk and strapped me in the back seat. "Let's go get some lunch, hey?"

"Yeah, I'm really hungry. Can we go to McDonalds?" I asked hopefully.

"Well we could but I think it will be better to go to Burger King because there is a park right next to it. Do you still like to go on the swings Cams?"

"Yeah! Uncle Joe let's go to Burger King so I can go on the swings!" I yelled in excitement.

"Ouch Cam! Not so loud or you'll send me deaf," he warned.

I smiled shyly and whispered, "Sorry Uncle Joe."

"It's ok. Just try to me excited a little quieter, yeah?" I nodded and smiled angelically. "Good. Now let's get going," he kissed my forehead and shut the door before getting into the front seat of the car.

The afternoon was a blur of running, swinging, tickling and piggy back rides. Joe took me home but Dad didn't help us make the jack-o-lantern because I fell asleep in the car on the way back.

The last thing I remember from that wonderful day was being tucked into bed by the important member of my family who was missing throughout most of my childhood.

"Good night Cammie-Chameleon," he whispered as he pulled my duvet up around me.

"You're going away again aren't you?" I asked sleepily.

"I'm afraid so."

"Why do you have to go?"

My godfather sighed but he didn't say that it wasn't important or I didn't need to know. He didn't even say that I would find out when I was older; he was completely honest. "I'm not allowed to tell you Cammie."

"Will you come back?"

"Someday sweetie. You'll see me again but it probably won't be for a long long time."

"I'll miss you Uncle Joe," I told him as I reached up to hug him one last time.

"I'll miss you too, Cammie, every day," he whispered into my hair, hugging me back tightly. "Good night Cammie."

"Good night. Good bye Uncle Joe. I love you."

"I love you too Cammie. Bye-bye."

Joe Solomon left my bedroom that night and I didn't see him again for ten years. By then I had forgotten who he was.

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><p><strong>Well, what do you think?<strong>

**I wrote this because I recently got a review on my story Colour Blind saying that I should do more one-shots and this is an idea I've had for a while as a memory which will influence something Cammie does in my story The Real Deal (for anybody who reads that I am really sorry that I haven't updating in so long. I suck :s) so this is sort of a companion piece I guess.**

**I love the relationship between Joe and Cammie and until the forth book we barely saw it which kind of sucked, even if it was necessary.**

**Thanks for reading. Please review and tell me what you think, good(e) or bad.**

**Thalia x**


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